I trust this gives some perspective of the actual bicycle miles I’ve established as my goal.

Note: This distance calculator uses data from the US Census and a supplementary list of cities around the world to find the latitude and longitude of two places, and then calculates the distance between them (as the crow flies).

Banner Elkis a quaint village high in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Arrive early to explore the shopping and food in this beautiful town.
CNC’s first Mass start leaving from Lees-McRae College and led by the Colleges Cycling Team.

Free optional rides will be available to CNC participants that arrive early in Banner Elkon September 29 and 30. These rides will vary in length and difficulty and will include the Blue Ridge Parkway, Lin Cove Viaduct, Linville Falls, Beech Mountain, etc. You can even ride the same roads where Lance Armstrong trained for the 2005 Tour de France and you may still be able to see the messages of encouragement that local residents painted on the roads for Lance.

The Lees-McRae Cycling Team has won many national championships and the team will lead us out of Banner Elk. We will immediately enjoy a picturesque six mile descent out of Banner Elk.

The route also includes a seven mile descent and Railroad Grade Road. Railroad Grade Road is built on an old railroad grade and is practically flat with not one hill to climb! This road goes through a valley right by the New River, which has been declared the first of the nation’s American Heritage Rivers.